Pope Symmachus

Pope Symmachus (450-19 July 514) was Pope from 498 to 514, succeeding Pope Anastasius II and preceding Pope Hormisdas.

Biography
Symmachus was born in 450 AD in Sardinia in the Vandal Kingdom, the son of Fortunatus. He was originally a pagan, but he was baptized in Rome and made the archdeacon under Pope Anastasius II. In 498, he was elected Pope after the death of Pope Anastasius, but he faced trouble when senator Rufius Postumius Festus accused him of celebrating Easter on the wrong day. King Theodoric the Great summoned Symmachus to Ariminum (Rimini) to face the charges, but he found out that he was accused of other charges and decided to flee, which was counted as an admission of guilt. A synod began at the Basilica of Santa Maria, but he was attacked by a mob as he headed to the basilica, and a few priests were killed. Symmachus stayed in the Basilica of St. Peter, and he asked Theodoric to let the synod dissolve. However, Theodoric refused to let the matter go until it was solved, so Symmachus assembled the bishops on 23 October 502 at Palma, and they decided that because he was a successor of St. Peter (as pontiff), they would leave God to decide his innocence. Symmachus reigned for 12 more years before he died.